News Release

Fila is the first tribal representative to serve as President of statewide working group.

Cocopah Emergency Manager Michael Fila was appointed this month to serve as President of the Arizona Local Public Health Emergency Response Association. “Public health has no boundary lines…as emergency professionals, Cocopah is committed to the safety of the whole community,” said Fila, adding: “I consider this appointment a great honor and a great opportunity to continue building upon our success.” Fila joined the Cocopah tribal government in 2012. He is the first tribal representative in the state of Arizona to serve ALPHERA in this capacity. The association is a working group of county public health officials throughout the state. Recently, the Emergency Management Department acquired two new emergency notification systems. In addition, the department reached another milestone for the Cocopah tribe. In January, the Emergency Management Department assembled a Disaster Assessment Team certified by the American Red Cross. These specially trained responders can bring immediate relief to an affected family. In April, Fila graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Academy after fulfilling 167 hours of training. He has served as a firefighter/EMT in New York State.